10.13.08
Relief.
I wonder how a person ever has relief when living in the midst of homelessness. I try to imagine those first few days on the street…cold, damp, lonely. I like to think I would still pray; more like cry out and beg the Lord for rescue. Maybe then, once the night is over and the dangers of the dark are gone, relief comes with the morning. Hope wakes up with dawn.
Fred was his name. We met my first Saturday morning at Faith in Christ ministries. The Santa Ana’s had blown in over the night, so that particular morning was cool and crisp. Smiling at each other, we shook hands. He wore a thick black coat, a black and red knit beanie with blue jeans and dirty shoes. He wore deep blue colored contacts; I wondered where he got them from. He has a daughter; she just graduated from nursing school. Such a proud daddy. His warm voice echoed his surprisingly confident demeanor. Fred was glad that I had followed the Lord to L.A. How did he end up homeless? How does he keep going? Deep in his eyes was real Joy. That’s all there is I guess…it’s all about perspective.
I hope we make a difference. That the Lord uses my hands for good…that deliverance can come for one person. But I’m starting to wonder if that matters at all. It’s beginning to seem that all there truly is….all there ever has been, is Christ. The condition of our souls is more important….I want to know what is more important; basic needs, or being treated like a human. If I was homeless; ignored, putrid smelling, knotted, trampled on and starving, what would I care about more? Being looked in the face, or having a drink of clean water….? Or should I have to choose…shouldn’t both those things be in the same basic needs category? Food, water, shelter, humanness. That’s what I’m doing here. I’m here to treat people like people, and then to meet their needs. I’m here to inspire youth to learn how to really live the message of Jesus. To love God and love our neighbors as ourselves. My prayer is that it would stick. People would start GETTING IT. I will spread that message until I’m blue in the face; I will never tire of trying my damnedest to treat people well and encourage others to do the same. And if one person smiles at someone who is homeless because of something I did or said or tried…well then my job is complete. My next prayer is that they would go on and spread the goodness. Maybe we can start to live like Christ…and maybe it’s really easier than we make it out to be. It’s possible that it begins with something simple like a smile. And then that smile builds into a “Hello”. Piled on top of that word is maybe a free lunch and listening ears. Maybe we can start to collectively get it. And Christ can reclaim the “Christian” label and we won’t be ashamed to say that’s what we are.
I usually hate saying that I’m a Christian. Only because I know that the stereotype is negative and usually it’s something I’m not associated with. Or at least I try not to be. Yea I should say that now…I DON’T HAVE ALL THE ANSWERS. Usually, I’m wrong actually. But I really think that about this….I might be closer to the better end of right. Man wouldn’t it be a beautiful day if the Church welcomed and loved alcoholics and crack addicts? Then maybe Jesus can be the healer of those addictions and the Church can be the encouraging body behind the recovery. And maybe God’s timing is perfect and He will heal his children when the time is right. ????
And you know….for that matter. We should probably learn to embrace people of all (ALL ALL ALL) socio-economic backgrounds. That means rich and poor. Black, White, Latino,Asian….everyone. Rich people have broken pieces too. Afterall, we were ALL created in God’s image. Each of his children. Instead of treating wealthy or famous people like they’re a commodity, maybe we should treat them like people too. Smile at them on the street, and leave it be. You wouldn’t walk up to a complete (non-famous) stranger and take pictures of them would you? Yea Ok that’s good for now.
No comments:
Post a Comment